UW Bothell Phase 3 Science & Academic Building

A Science Building Built to a Sustainability Mandate

The University of Washington Bothell’s Phase 3 Science and Academic Building expanded the Bothell campus with new STEM laboratory and classroom space. As a state-funded higher-education project, the build operated under explicit energy and sustainability targets from project initiation through occupancy.

Construction lighting — typically a multi-year energy sink — had to be reconciled with those targets. Conventional 120V incandescent stringers would have consumed hundreds of thousands of kilowatt-hours over the build window and added meaningful cost to the project’s utility budget.

Low-Voltage LED Construction Lighting Across an Entire Academic Phase

Clear-Vu Lighting deployed FLEX SLS low-voltage LED construction fixtures across the entire Phase 3 footprint — from foundation pour through finish work. The 24V DC bus-line system provided continuous illumination as crews moved through each floor, lab, and corridor.

The plug-and-play architecture eliminated electrician callouts for lighting moves, freeing licensed labor for permanent system work. Long LED life meant zero re-lamping across the entire build window — an operational improvement on top of the headline energy savings.

• FLEX SLS 27.5VDC LED bus-line deployed across the full Phase 3 building footprint
• 587,000 kWh of construction lighting energy avoided versus conventional baseline
• Plug-and-play architecture — general laborers handled lighting moves, freeing electricians for permanent work
• 50,000-hour rated LED life eliminated re-lamping over the multi-year build
• Contributed to the project’s overall sustainability and energy targets
• Manufactured in Long Island, NY — documented Buy American supply chain

587,000 kWh Saved — A Higher-Ed Benchmark

The Phase 3 deployment avoided 587,000 kilowatt-hours of construction lighting energy versus a conventional 120V incandescent baseline. Translated into UW Bothell’s reporting framework, the savings dropped directly into the project’s sustainability dashboard and informed planning for subsequent capital phases.

The result reset the benchmark for what construction lighting can contribute on a higher-education sustainability mandate — turning a traditionally overlooked line item into a measurable kilowatt-hour and carbon win.